Category: Trials and Tribulations

Whatcha think, Joe was perfect?

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Rev. Joe Uncovers an International Conspiracy

Señora and I are friends with a couple, Harry and Susan, who live a little north of Chicago.  A few weeks ago they drove down to visit their son in Springfield, IL, and afterwards they passed a couple days in the St. Louis area to visit with us and Susan’s sister.  We had dinner with them one night on our patio and dinner the next night at her sister’s house.  After dinner each night we passed many agreeable hours on our patio gabbing and partaking of water and sunlight that nature had graciously turned into the pleasant and pleasing beverage called wine.

On the night we ate dinner at our house we were having a bit of a problem with flies.  I started talking about wanting to get one of those guns that shoots salt in order to hunt down flies.  A week or so after their visit, there arrived an unexpected package Continue reading “Rev. Joe Uncovers an International Conspiracy”

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Before I was born

I was speaking with one of my Spanish tutors, Micaela, this morning.  Mica lives in a small jungle town in Ecuador, but she has a good internet connection.  She is around 30 and an excellent conversationalist. We been working together for more than 2 years and have a friendly relationship.  For my part, I always enjoy our hour together every couple weeks, and she seems to do so also.

I sent her a few pictures of Cannon Beach in Oregon, then asked her is she remembered the movie Goonies, it being an extremely popular movie in its day, and having scenes in the movie set at Cannon Beach. Even though American movies and television programs are very popular there, she did not remember this movie .

I sent her a link to the IMDB page for Goonies. After looking at the page, she said, “Oh that movie was made in 1985 – before I was born!”

Grumble, grumble, gripe, gripe… got to love this getting old…the human race marches on.

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Soy un comediante

There are a couple skills that a person needs when they start a language learning journey, but that are not mentioned in the syllabus.  One is that you need to accept making lots of mistakes and the other is that you need to be able to laugh at yourself.  It took me a while to realize this. Self-deprecating humor is my forte, but it  is difficult accepting the making of errors, partly because I am a bit of a perfectionist, ask anyone who has programmed behind me, partly because I could not laugh at myself about those mistakes, partly because I hate feeling stupid in front of someone else, it is bad enough in front of yourself.  It is the last that has flattened my Spanish learning curve, but I am somewhat more accepting of my foibles now.

I read an article on language learning sometime ago, and one of their theories was that it took 10,000 Continue reading “Soy un comediante”

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Revengeful Robin…

On either side of our driveway are two large trees. On the right is a sycamore tree that towers above our two story house.  On the left is a sweet gum tree, tall for its species, with an impressive canopy.  One thing I have always liked about this arrangement is the shade they give our principle vehicles. With the garage being filled with kayaks and my baby – Li’ Blue – aka a certain Mazda MX-5 Miata, the other cars cannot find a home inside.  Of course if you are going to have tree limbs over cars, you will have the occasional avian calling card on your vehicle.  This has been an infrequent and bearable problem… Continue reading “Revengeful Robin…”

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Rallllllffffff….

More often than I would like to own up to, I revert to being a 13 year old boy.  One of my less than adult behaviors is enunciating the name Ralph while I eructate (burp).  Yes, I know, boys will be boys…

I did so this morning and Señora asked me, “who is Ralph?”

“I don’t know, it is just something I say,” I answered.

She next asked, “Have you ever known any Ralphs?”

“Well”, I said, “Not that I recall, have you?”

“Nope, me neither,” she added.

“It is not a very common name now days,” was my brilliant response.

Señora then proceeded to say Ralph several ways, adding that it was a harsh name when spoken.

Thinking of Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners I said, “An easy name for your wife to yell at you meanly.”

Not missing a beat Señora replied, “David works pretty good too.”

Related??? – At one point my brother Mark could recite the alphabet while burping… I don’t know if he is still in practice.

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It is official: I am old

By whatever methodology of measure you elect to utilize, I am not a young man.  I have not been so for a while now.  The other day I celebrated my 69th birthday by mowing and fertilizing the lawn.  Brothers being brothers, one of mine reminded me that as of my birthday this year I was beginning my 70th circuit around the sun. Thanks Mike, now pass me the foam encounter bat, you fellow old curmudgeon. My wife, for my birthday this year, bought me a coffee mug with my name on it.  I deduced that she was afraid that with my advancing decrepitude I might not remember who I was… let it alone my name.

However, the real kicker Continue reading “It is official: I am old”

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Mars and Venus — Whatever Country

I was Skyping with my young Mexican tutor who lives in Honduras this morning.   He told me the following joke:

¿En qué se parecen las mujeres y las canciones en inglés?
Yo tampoco lo entiendo, pero me gustan los dos.

Or in English:

How are women and songs in English alike?
I don’t understand either, but I like them both.

Seems like male / female relationships are the same in whatever culture the two genders exist.

 

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Sarah’s Smiles

“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ~~ Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

There are many different words that I could and do use to describe my wife, Robin. One such word would be charismatic; people are just attracted to her. She genuinely loves people, and people love her back.  She is kind and patient, qualities that served her well during her 30 plus years as a special education teacher. She is also a bit ADHD, but she uses it to good stead, getting a lot done with her need to keep moving and to be doing something.

She has also experienced great strife and loss in her life.  She and her mother had a very “complicated” relationship. Continue reading “Sarah’s Smiles”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #6,629

yeah I know you did not ask!

I want to add a new phrase to the lexicon, that being the “Amazon peek“.

We have not had problems, that I have heard of, with porch pirates in this neighborhood.  And I know that from some delivery entities I receive emails when a package is out for delivery and another when it has been delivered.  And I have a built in loud and insistent announcer of strange happenings in our yard in the form of a fierce 15 pound heap of fur named Lily. Brave is the delivery/postal personnel  that comes to our front porch .

But I still find myself peeking out the front door to see if Amazon/Walmart/USPS/FedEx/UPS has delivered whatever urgent item I have recently decided I could not do without… and 2 dang days is too freaking long to wait for any package anyway.

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Definition of Panic

You are backpacking in the Ozark National Forest in north central Arkansas.  Since it is 0230 you are in your tent.  Because the ambient temperature is plus or minus 2 degrees of the freezing point of water, Fahrenheit, you have your down mummy sleeping bag zipped all the way up.  In fact you have the cord on the hood portion cinched up so that all that is visible is your very manly proboscis.  Because you are 68 going on 79 you have just woken up with an extraordinary Continue reading “Definition of Panic”